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Meet Your Neighbor: Fries' rescue dogs lift people's spirits

Sheri Trusty, Correspondent
Published 2:51 p.m. ET Aug. 20, 2017

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Tiffany Fries decided to use Ryder, left, and Flynn as therapy dogs with hospice patients after seeing the benefits of pet therapy when her grandmother was in hospice. The dogs also travel to Bellevue Pubic Library once a month for the Paws to Read program, where kids snuggle with them on a coach and read out loud.(Photo: Sheri Trusty/Correspondent)Buy Photo

BELLEVUE - For a while, it looked like Flynn and Ryder were destined to be euthanized. They were living at a dog pound and were reaching their stay limit with no potential owners in sight.

But two non-kill organizations saved them and placed their bios on petfinder.com, where Bellevue Elementary fifth grade teacher Tiffany Fries fell in love with their photos and decided to adopt them. Now, the dogs that were so close to death are bringing happiness to people who are facing death themselves.

Tiffany and her husband, Tony Fries, take Flynn, a Tibetan Spaniel/Pomeranian mix, and Ryder, an American Eskimo/Pomeranian mix, to Stein Hospice and the Ohio Veterans Home to visit hospice patients each week as part of the Stein Hospice Paws Up pet therapy team. Tiffany and Tony, both certified handlers for the dogs, decided to become involved in pet therapy after seeing its benefits when Tiffany’s grandmother, Shirley Morton, died.

“In May, 2016, my grandmother was placed into the Stein Hospice in-patient unit in Sandusky. While we were there, a lot of therapy dogs came there for the patients. I wanted to see if Flynn and Ryder were capable of being therapy dogs, because not all dogs are,” Tiffany said.

Obedience classes

They enrolled the dogs in basic obedience classes at Canine Bliss in Fremont, and then continued with the Canine Good Citizen class and advanced obedience classes.

“Kris Bliss, the owner, is really honest about whether she thinks dogs will make good therapy dogs, and she thought they would,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany and Tony became certified handlers through Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs, a nationwide organization. Now, the dogs and handlers are bringing a few minutes of joy to hospice patients and their families dealing with end-of-life stress.

“You can see it on their faces when you walk in the room. The animals help them relax,” Tiffany said. “I love that they can pick up my dogs and hold them for 10 minutes and take a break from what’s going on. The dogs just want people to be happy.”

Tiffany has become an active volunteer for Stein Hospice. She is helping organize the October Paws Up Pet Expo and often bakes for hospice patients.

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Ryder, an American Eskimo/Pomeranian mix, was a great candidate for becoming a pet therapy dog after attending obedience lessons at Canine Bliss in Fremont.(Photo: Sheri Trusty/Correspondent)

“People think you have to sit with patients to be a hospice volunteer, but you don’t have to. There are many different things you can do,” she said.

Flynn and Ryder also serve as reading dogs for Bellevue Public Library’s Paws to Read program.

“We just read with kids. We have a little couch we sit on. Kids pick a book, and they’ll read it to me or I’ll read it to them, if they’re younger,” Tiffany said. “I have my master’s in reading, so I am passionate about reading. I wanted to do something for kids who have difficulty reading. If you struggle with it, you’re not going to read. This is a great icebreaker for kids, and they’re encouraged to keep going.”

'Very positive experience'

And for Flynn and Ryder, it’s all just great fun. As soon as Tiffany pulls out their therapy dog bandanas and leashes, the dogs start jumping with excitement.

“When they see the bandanas, they know they’re going to get a lot of petting,” Tiffany said. “The dogs love it. The people love it. It’s been a very positive experience.”

It has also been a way to honor Tiffany’s grandmother’s memory.

“This is something I really cherish doing in honor of my grandma,” she said.

Flynn and Ryder will visit Bellevue Public Library during the Paws to Read events on Sept. 13, Oct. 11, and Nov. 8.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheri.trusty@gmail.com.

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Flynn, a Tibetan Spaniel/Pomeranian mix, enjoys pet therapy as much as the patients do. His owner, Tiffany Fries, said her dogs just want to make people happy.(Photo: Sheri Trusty/Correspondent)